Claire Cronin's run as House majority leader could be a short one as her nomination to serve as U.S. ambassador to Ireland is moving forward to the full U.S. Senate.
The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations approved the Easton Democrat's nomination alongside a long list of people including Victoria Reggie Kennedy — the widow of U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy — to serve as ambassador to Austria. President Biden selected Cronin for the post in June, after Cronin advocated for his election.
Cronin's Senate confirmation and her subsequent resignation would open up the second-highest position in the House and likely force a special election to restore representation for voters in the 11th Plymouth House District. Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan and Assistant Majority Leader Michael Moran could be in line to take over as House majority leader, the News Service previously reported.
Cronin is part of a pipeline of Massachusetts officials who have been tapped to serve in federal positions.
Biden selected Rep. Maria Robinson to serve as assistant secretary in the Office of Electricity and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins to take over as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked on Rollins' nomination and it's unclear when Senate Democrats will put her nomination up for votes in the full branch.
The Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday also held over the nomination of Massachusetts' Dr. Atul Gawande to serve as assistant administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Gawande works as a surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
